Much has been said on the economic benefits of opening public sector information, and much more remains to be said and studied. One part of this issue that is becoming more evident over time is that Open Data are the simplest, if not the only way, to save Public Administrations from the costs that they have already (and rightfully!) forced themselves to bear, through assorted laws and official regulations. This is explained well in the report from LinkedGov about the economic impact of open data:

_(p. 2) "As the costs of disseminating and accessing information have declined, the transactions costs associated with charging for access to information, and controlling subsequent redistribution have come to constitute a major barrier to access in themselves. As a result, the case for free (gratis) provision of Public Sector Information is stronger than has already been recognised._

Unfortunately, alternatives like charging for access to data or cutting the budget for providing them to citizens remain very common in spite of their negative effects. According to Eaves, the first practice has already caused areduction in the number of freedom of information requests filed by citizens, while budget cuts invariably and greatly delay processing times.